Earlier this year, we surveyed 11,000 Americans about their TV and internet plans and discovered that around 51% of people still pay for cable TV.
We wanted to know why people are still holding onto their cable subscriptions despite the popularity of streaming services, so we followed up by surveying another 1,000 cable TV subscribers.
Around a quarter (27%) of those folks owed their allegiance to cable because of live sports, and another quarter (26%) prioritized comfort, emphasizing that cable is what they’re used to. The comfort angle tracks: Around 70% of respondents have had cable for more than five years.
Even as predictions abound concerning the eventual death of cable, there are plenty of legitimate reasons why, like it or not, cable TV is sticking around.
Here’s why people still have cable TV:
The most common reason people pay for cable TV is live sports. 27% of those surveyed said they mainly use cable to watch sports.
“Despite the rise of streaming, many sports leagues still have exclusive TV deals with regional sports networks (RSNs) and traditional cable channels like ESPN, FS1, and USA Network,” said CableTV.com Sports Editor Taylor Kujawa. “I think cable TV is hanging in there because it remains one of the most reliable ways to access these channels while offering competitive internet bundle options and fewer delays than streaming.”
Comfort also plays a role. Long-time subscribers are used to cable, and to many, it’s simpler to stick with what they know. More on this below.
The top reasons people pay for cable:
- 27% watch live sports
- 26% say cable is what they’re most comfortable with
- 12% say cable is easier to use
- 11% watch the news
- 11% watch entertainment
- 6% say cable is more cost-effective
- 2% watch political content
Most cable TV customers are long-time subscribers
Most people with cable figure if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The vast majority of respondents have had cable for more than five years, with just a minuscule 4% saying they’ve had it for less than a year. What can we say? Humans are creatures of habit.
- 70% of cable subscribers have had it more than 5 years
- 26% of cable subscribers have had it between 1–5 years
- 4% of cable subscribers have had it less than 1 year
Do people with cable TV also pay for streaming services?
Most of the people who’ve held onto cable can’t help but be pulled into the allure of all the shiny (sorta) new streaming services the world has to offer. A whopping 82% of people who pay for cable TV also pay for at least one streaming service.
CableTV.com’s streaming expert Olivia Bono says, “‘Cutting the cord’ doesn’t always happen in one fell swoop—not everyone is going to cancel their cable bill the second they try out Netflix. Cable add-ons like HBO have existed for years, so it’s a familiar model. However, there will likely come a breaking point when the combination of that cable bill and streaming bill gets too expensive, and customers will have to make a choice.”
The most popular streaming services for people with cable TV are:
- Netflix 76%
- Hulu 46%
- Prime Video 45%
- Disney+ 42%
- Max 28%
- Paramount+ 27%
- Peacock 23%
- YouTube TV 16%
- Apple TV+ 16%
- ESPN+ 15%
Is cable TV still worth it?
61% of people who have cable TV think that it’s worth it. Even with all the great streaming services out there, higher channel counts and better video quality are two big pluses in cable TV’s favor. And if you can’t get fast internet speeds where you live, you’re better off sticking with cable than suffering with constant buffering while streaming.
Most people who have cable TV bundle it with other services, which could also make it a more cost-effective option:
- 50% bundle their TV and internet
- 16% bundle their TV, internet, and mobile
- 3% bundle their TV and mobile
- 30% don’t bundle their cable with anything
“I think cord-cutters often overlook how much money they can save by bundling cable TV with internet service, which is why some people return to cable,” explained Kujawa.
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Is cable TV going away?
Even with more and more folks subscribing to streaming services, the majority of people with cable don’t see themselves getting rid of it in the foreseeable future. In fact, only 18% of cable subscribers say they won’t keep it for more than a year.
- 33% say they’ll have cable for the next few years
- 30% don’t see themselves getting rid of cable
- 18% say they’ll have cable for a year
- 28% of people who currently have cable have tried getting rid of cable in the past
- 53% of people who cut the cord went without cable for over a year before getting it again
Is cable TV too expensive?
The average cable TV plan currently costs around $110, which can be hard on many budgets. But streaming services are getting pretty expensive, too. Live TV streaming services are often considered a cheaper “cable replacement.” But two of the best live TV streaming services (Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV) range between $81.99–$95.99 per month.
Meanwhile, subscribing to our top ten favorite on-demand streaming services will cost you around $87.90–$130.89 per month, depending on your tolerance for ads. It’s harder to compare on-demand streaming to cable TV because of its à la carte nature—everyone has a different combination of services that they prefer. But if you’re supplementing or replacing your cable plan with even a handful of on-demand services, things become pretty pricey very quickly.
Cable TV plans typically give you access to hundreds of live channels and thousands of on-demand shows and movies under just one bill, and cable TV prices have increased at a slower rate than streaming services.
Still, Americans are wary about price hikes. We learned that the number one reason a cable customer would cancel their plan is, overwhelmingly, a price increase.
- 49% would cancel their cable because of a price increase
- 20% would cancel if they lost interest in what they use cable to watch
- 17% would cancel if other options became more affordable
- 10% would cancel if the channel offering drastically changed
My own parents cut the cable cord at the end of last year, citing price increases as the main reason for their choice: “We were with Optimum/Suddenlink for over 20 years before we switched to YouTube TV. Optimum’s prices continued to rise, so cheaper options made our decision to leave an easy one.”
Why do people cut the cord?
73% of people got rid of cable because it was too expensive. Our research shows that even with pricier live TV streaming services like YouTube TV closing the gap, streaming still has the edge over cable price-wise.
What are people replacing cable with?
65% of people without cable use on-demand streaming services like Netflix, 42% use free ad-supported TV (FAST) streaming services like Tubi, and 40% use live TV streaming services like YouTube TV.
- 65% use on-demand streaming services (e.g., Netflix)
- 42% use FAST streaming services (e.g., Tubi)
- 40% use live TV streaming services (e.g., Fubo)
- 26% use a digital antenna
- 4% didn’t replace cable with anything
Do cord-cutters ever go back to cable?
Sometimes, cord-cutters go back to cable. The main reason cord-cutters return to a cable subscription is the same reason why people pay for cable to begin with: live sports.
“Cable TV remains a top choice for live sports because it’s often the most reliable way to access local channels, regional sports networks, and premium packages all within the same plan,” said Kujawa. “Some cable providers even offer streaming perks like ESPN+ and Paramount+ to cover exclusive sports content on those services.”
- 36% of cord-cutters went back to cable to watch live sports
- 13% of cord-cutters went back to cable to watch the news
- 13% of cord-cutters went back to cable to watch entertainment events
Methodology
We surveyed 1,000 people using Pollfish on Feb. 6, 2024. In order to participate in the survey, respondents had to answer yes to both having cable TV in their household and being a primary decision-maker in their household. The results were post-stratified to accurately reflect the population.
